It has been a LONG time since we have heard from you or since we have seen any type of meaningful update to HD. I think it has left many people wondering if HD is on its death bed. What gives? I love playing this game, but would like to see it getting the kind of attention GD is getting right now (with a new engine in beta testing). I think most of us would be happy with some minor game planning tweaks to HD (such as the ability to choose who defenders will defend in M2M), some changes to recruiting and changes to job logic (especially firings, which don't appear to be happening at all these days). Is there anything you can tell us about what is being planned for the game?

Seems like a legit question, and I thought the same thing when I saw that there was a new GD engine. Is that game really a lot more popular? It's been a while since I played it, don't know how full the world are, etc.

Posted by emy1013 on 2/18/2013 8:45:00 PM (view original):From a different thread (as posted originally by Rsvphr):

Here is the situation as I see it: I have over 30 years experience in marketing strategy. When you have a brand with declining new users and a drop off in retention of the new users you are generating, cost management become a priority and a potential end game strategy for the brand's demise is implemented (hence the virtual elimination of any new developments for the game). You might make some simple, low cost cosmetic changes to your product periodically, giving it the illusion of attention. You would also assess your customer base and eliminate elements that would cost you their business (i.e. firings)
If you have concluded that the long term prognosis for the brand is not good but the erosion of your customer base is gradual, you would maximize your profitability by being austere about spending money and manpower on the brand and ride out its decline for as long as the brand creates any profit under its own power. Your attention would be focused on any other brands that have growth potential or the development of new brands.
How many of us have said we will continue to play even if we don't see activity on the part of management? They know that and take that into account. If management had not concluded the HD brand is terminal, we'd see regular information exchange between vendor and customer (e-newsletters, status announcements, updated user guides) with a focus on customer satisfaction elements.
Enjoy HD for as long as you can but do not anticipate change.

In a lot of ways this sounds right to me with one exception. I see the basketball, baseball, and football simulations as more of a unit than standalone products. It is true that they are not marketing this much at all, but there is one captive audience that they have in the bag, and that is the users that are already playing a different sport. If they kill off basketball or some other sport, wouldn't that have a residual affect on the other offerings as well?

I think if they were going to milk it until it completely dries up that they would not be spending the effort on Gridiron Dynasty. It is my hope that once they complete that work that there will be room in the budget for some HD effort.

Posted by killbatman on 2/19/2013 10:30:00 AM (view original):Why is someone downvoting the posts in this thread?

Seems like a legit question, and I thought the same thing when I saw that there was a new GD engine. Is that game really a lot more popular? It's been a while since I played it, don't know how full the world are, etc.

There's a new engine in GD because the last one was a complete disaster that never should have seen the light of day. We were basically paying to beta test it because the number of bugs, problems and foibles was truly epic. Results seemingly had no rhyme or reason to them in many cases. Statistics produced had no grounding in realism, to the point where you wondered if anyone on the project had actually watched a football game or read a stat summary in their lives. Long-standing coaches disappeared in droves. It was simply a pooch-screw in every way imaginable and the business equivalent of jumping in front of a loaded freight train.

Obviously, I don't think HD is the perfect game. It isn't. That said, I think it would be hard to find anyone who plays both HD and GD who'd say the worst problems over on this side of the WIS universe begin to approach what GDers had to deal with after the last engine roll-out. GD is getting a new engine because GD desperately NEEDS a new engine. Even then, I'll have to hear many, MANY good things about the new GD engine before I'll even consider paying money again for the product -- at ANY price -- and I know that sentiment is shared by many. A new GD engine is a PR move that's way, WAY overdue.

If they do rotate among brands, I'd like to know what percentage of time is devoted to each. I'd also like to know the percentage of players in more than one sport and the current population of each of the major sports and the trend of those populations.